Davey Johnson has said, possibly jokingly, that Stephen Strasburg might still see game action as a pinch-hitter. It’s not as crazy an idea as you’d think, as Strasburg was hitting .277 with a home run this season, but it does bring the crazy question to mind of who is the best hitting pitcher in baseball right now? Okay, maybe it doesn’t bring that crazy question to your mind, but I bet it is in your mind now. Ha!

One thing about most pitchers in the majors is that they probably aren’t really bad hitters, just bad major league hitters. Many of them probably played in the field during high school and maybe even college, and probably were pretty good hitters. It’s just that once they get to professional ranks they are facing far more difficult pitching and, what’s more, are focusing far more on pitching than they are hitting. Not as much time in the batting cage, not as much time trying to figure out those curve-balls, and not as much time studying game-tape of the next day’s starter. The result is, of course, that the average MLB pitcher is good only for a sac bunt or maybe a lucky single.

However, there are some exceptions:

(JUMP)

Carlos Zambrano is one of the most notable. The winner of three silver sluggers, Zambrano has hit 24 career homers, including an impressive 6-HR campaign in 2006. He has been used as a pinch-hitter 29 times.

Yovani Gallardo is another pitcher who can hit well. Although he is only a career .207 hitter, like Zambrano he has shown some impressive power when he does get the bat on the ball, having 10 home runs in his six MLB seasons.

Mike Leake, himself a childhood teammate of Stephen Strasburg, has hit .270 in his young career, including two home runs this season.

And an honorable mention to CC Sabathia, the great hitting pitcher that never was. Due to the fact that he generally has been in the American League for most of his career (with the exception of his brief time with the Brewers), we have only gotten rare glimpses of the would-be Babe Ruth of hitting pitchers (with the exception, of course, of Babe Ruth). He has had three home runs in his 109 plate appearances, but those home runs were mightily impressive, the type you’d expect somebody of Sabathia’s stature to hit. Alas, the Yankees’ signing of him demolished any hopes of seeing what he might do with a full year in the NL.
(NOTE: Not included are recently retired players, or players like Micah Owings who are going to be converted to position players.)